Virtual Gaming, Oh How I love Thee

I was talking to Shane Runkle of Runkle Plays Games Blogthe other day and we were talking about how many games we have each played over the last year. It was during this conversation it dawned on me that I did very little face-to-face RPG playing this year. Oh hell, I have played so little locally that it is almost not worth counting. The bulk of my gaming has been VoIP internet based gaming and I have been extremely happy with the games I have played and all the great people I played with. I have managed to meet some great people this year from all over the world. For example, Jonna from Finland, Yohann from France, Jules and Jan from Belgium, Kai and Soren and Matias from Germany, Dave from Massachusetts, Andrea from Michigan and so many more! These folks and all the others have made it possible for me to have a great gaming year. I am really looking forward to 2015!

I really enjoy virtual gaming for the reasons I always mention; convenience and the ability to play a much wider variety of games than would be possible locally. Don’t get me wrong, I do like face-to-face gaming and interaction, but when you live in an area that is devoid of gaming diversity, what is a gamer to do? I know there are proponents and opponents of online virtual gaming, what is your stance on the subject? Has virtual gaming or face-to-face gaming brought you more satisfaction with our hobby this past year?